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French sensation Arthur Fils continued his remarkable run at the 2023 Hamburg European Open as he trounced top seed Casper Ruud in the quarterfinal on Friday, July 28.
Fils was flawless and looked in little trouble against the World No. 4, wiping out the challenge 6-0, 6-4. The 19-year-old saved the solitary break point he faced throughout the match and broke Ruud's serve four times.
This was Arthur Fils' first-ever top-5 and top-10 win. He roared in celebration after defeating Ruud, as he booked his place in his third semifinal in the 2023 season.
Fils bettered lucky loser Daniel Elahi Galan in the first round and Dusan Lajovic in the second, with identical scorelines, 7-5, 7-5. He has now entered his first ATP 500-level semifinal. Fils will next take on the only seeded player left in the draw, No. 4 seed and home favorite Alexander Zverev.
World No. 19 Zverev has so far sailed past Alex Molcan (6-0, 6-3), wildcard Maximilian Marterer (6-3, 7-5), and Luca Van Asshe (6-3, 6-4) in the ongoing event. The 26-year-old is hoping to become the first German to win the Hamburg European Open since Michael Stitch in 1993.
Fils reflected on his quarterfinal match, acknowledging that he strategized with his coach before the match to neutralize Ruud's powerful forehand. The French player emphasized the importance of his mental toughness.
“I’m really happy about it. Of course, it was a tough match,” said Fils in his on-court interview. “I had good tactics with my coach before the match. We talked before the match, that I have to believe I can win."
“I knew that he has a really good forehand, and when he uses his forehand during the point, it’s tough. He makes you run a lot. My goal was to play a lot of forehands and play a lot on his backhand, and I did it really well today," Fils added.
Arthur Fils won his maiden ATP title at Lyon Open 2023
Arthur Fils is having a breakthrough season in 2023. In his first tournament of the year, Montpellier Open in February, Fils reached his first semifinals on the ATP Tour. His run was halted by eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
He followed up that performance with another semifinal appearance at the Marseille Open, where he lost to Benjamin Bonzi. Fils went on to lift his maiden singles title in France, as he won the Lyon Open in May. The 19-year-old defeated No. 4 seed Francisco Cerundolo in the final, 6-3, 7-5.
These remarkable results helped Fils climb to a career-best ranking of World No. 58 on June 26, 2023. He is currently ranked World No. 71 and is also No. 4 in the race for the Next Gen ATP Finals, which will kick off on November 17.
